Never seen a boxer waste away their career like Andre Ward is

Right.

Ward does have a heightened sense of worth though.

I would definitely rather GGG fight Ward at 168 for legacy purposes but Ward would have to give some major items up in negotiating to get Golovkin's team to agree to 168.

Regarding Ward "wasting his career", I would have to disagree. He accomplished a lot in a short period and has a Hall of Fame legacy. He can chill for a little while and try to get the most money for least amount of risk. If we are in a similar spot by this time next year where he hasn't fought a top 10 light heavy or a top 5 supermiddleweight, then there would be a feeling of wasting for me.

 

Easy to see how you were Poster of the Year!

Well done, Ganny. :happy

:rofl

 

Are u serious? Top 5 SMW or top 10 LHW? That would be totally pathetic considering he is been elevated p4p ranking for doing nothing in the past three years. That itself is ridiculous but giving him another year doing nothing significant makes you a nuthugger. It almost sounds like you know he will loose soon if he steps up. Nothing against you, but that´s just wrong.

 

Floyd has wasted his more, IMO.

11 fights in 8 years.

Never cleaned out a division since he moved up from 140.

Avoided a lot of fighters.

Cherry-picked more than anyone I can remember.

Never took on a challenge as it is without some stupid stipulation.

Became a circus-act as soon as he made the big time.

 

:think interesting point, I was wondering the same thing with the Goossen situation.

 

what kind of deal do you think it would take for ggg to agree to fight ward at 168?

 

aside from a very busy 2007 (two fights !) Antonio Tarver has had one fight a year since 2006. Now that's a waste of time.

Ward is not an ATG top 10 SMW. There are all sorts of ways of ranking champions....title defences for example. Doesn't matter if you think Ward would have beaten Sven Ottke ( I do) but Ottke had 17 successful defences of this title(s) so should be given consideration to to ranked over Ward who has I believe 7 successful defences.

James Toney, Thomas Hearns, Calzaghe, Nigel Benn, Roy Jones, Chris Eubank should be ranked over Ward based on their level of competition and number of defences.

Ward has two seriously good notches on his belt...Froch and Kessler. Everyone else is B grade or lower IMO. I am downgrading Abraham but I won't argue if he's considered a "good notch on his belt".

If (IF) Ward defeats GGG, and DeGale, that would put him in the top 5. He will NEVER be the ATG SMW ...that title goes to either Calzaghe or RJJ.

He has no record at all in the LHW division, and frankly, at the pace he is fighting, he'll never break the top 10. His low fight frequency is keeping him off or low on ATG lists. That's why he can be considered to be wasting a career.

 

Pound for Pound is subjective, you do not have to have Andre Ward in yours. Personally, he's in my top five.

Ward coming back from a long layoff, it would be nice to see him in with a top guy, that was my point. I am not a "nu thugger" of Andre Ward.

I do not think he will "loose" (I assume you mean lose) when he steps up. I think he is maybe 60/40 to beat GGG and Stevenson and he's 50/50 with Kovalev.

 

Great post! :good

 

I have no idea what goes on behind the scenes but if I am advising Golovkin in making a deal with Ward, I am of course trying to get Ward down in weight. GGG is comfortable at 160 and Ward is seemingly too big for super middle so, there is a decent size gap there. Add in the fact that Andre is the faster fighter and a tremendously good boxer, makes GGG an underdog.

There would have to be either a catch weight (which I loathe) and close split of the cash or 168 and Golovkin makes 60/40 type money. Fight would take place in a city other than Oakland or that area, I suppose.

The fu cking fight is too good not to make happen within 6 months. I really hope it does and I hate to say it but I want it to happen at proper 168 super middle.

 

Know something about boxing before you post. Ward was out promotional issues for damn near 2 years, returns makes @$2mm and his next fight is on the 2nd biggest ppv of the year. Also, wards resume and skillset is already god like. Lol GGG called out HIM when he was in promoter purgatory, and now that he isn't GGG is shook.

 

What kind of crack are you smoking to ever think GGG would make more money than Ward if they fought?

 

At the end of the day Andre Ward is still one of the best two or three fighters in the sport of Boxing. Did he slow down momentum he gained during the Super-Six, yes, but I don't think the layoff ruined his chances of ever becoming a superstar because his ceiling as a marquee attraction wasn't that high to begin with.

Andre Ward is arguably one or two fights away from a showdown with Kovalev or Golovkin….maybe not so much with Stevenson because of his PBC affiliation. You're talking like his career is over and ruined, in two more fights he'll be right back in the mix like nothing changed.

 

It's that reality crack. The kind that makes you aware of the fact that Ward could never sell out MSG.

 

Dan4579 put it nicely but allow another Dan (seriously, that's my name) to tell you that GGG is at least as big of a ticket seller as Andre Ward, probably bigger.

My crack is indeed reality crack, an indica crack :hat.